ReachMD Launches Educational Series on Cervical Length Screening in Prenatal Care to Reduce the Rate of Preterm Birth

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ReachMD and Cervilenz Inc. partner to raise awareness of and provide education on new professional society guidelines on preterm birth prevention. With a proven intervention for pregnant women diagnosed with a short cervix mid-pregnancy, universal screening is now becoming part of routine prenatal care. Experts define this change in practice as a turning point in obstetrics.

ReachMD and Cervilez Inc. Partner on Preterm Birth Education

This is a turning point, one we’ve been waiting a long time for in obstetrics. There are decades of research demonstrating that cervical length is the most powerful predictor of preterm birth.

Fort Washington, PA (PRWEB)December 04, 2012

ReachMD, an award-winning producer and distributor of advanced healthcare information and education, launched a three-part series on preterm birth, beginning with ‘A Change in Prenatal Care: Universal Screening for Short Cervix and Vaginal Progesterone Intervention.’ The first expert interview highlights important shifts in routine prenatal care that can dramatically reduce the rate of preterm birth. It features Dr. Jason Baxter, a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist at Thomas Jefferson University and one of the investigators for the recent NIH study that demonstrated a 45% reduction in the rate of preterm birth before 33 weeks of gestation and improved neonatal outcomes, when vaginal progesterone is used to treat pregnant women with a short cervix.

The ReachMD Preterm Birth Series, sponsored by Cervilenz Inc., manufacturer of a single-use device that measures vaginal cervical length, broadcasts on-air on XM Satellite Radio Channel 167, is simulcast online on ReachMD.com, and can be downloaded on-demand through the free MedicalRadio™ app.

Preterm birth is the leading cause of infant death, affecting 12% of pregnancies in the United States and carrying an annual economic toll of $26.2 billion in healthcare and related costs. Three professional societies published new clinical practice recommendations in 2012 regarding identification and management of patients at high risk for preterm birth. The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American College of Nurse-Midwives all now recommend vaginal progesterone treatment for routine singletons diagnosed with a short cervix mid-pregnancy. To identify patients for treatment, universal cervical length screening is proposed – marking a significant change in clinical practice.

“This is a turning point, one we’ve been waiting a long time for in obstetrics,” said Baxter, who has dedicated countless research and patient care hours to the cause of prematurity prevention. “There are decades of research demonstrating that cervical length is the most powerful predictor of preterm birth. The shorter the cervix, the higher the risk – it’s a simple inverse relationship. Now we finally have a strategy to couple cervical length screening with vaginal progesterone when a patient is found to be at high risk.”

ReachMD and Cervilenz Inc. partnered in this broadcast effort to raise awareness of the new society practice guidelines and provide education on strategies for universal cervical length screening and appropriate use of vaginal progesterone. “This highly relevant educational series is designed to ensure that maternal-fetal medicine specialists, obstetricians, and nurse-midwives all take steps toward adoption of the new recommendations published by leading professional societies,” said Art Marchesini, Senior Vice President of ReachMD.

About ReachMD
ReachMD leverages first-to-market, proprietary broadcast technologies to deliver compelling radio content across a variety of platforms to help time-constrained healthcare professionals stay abreast of research, expert commentary, treatment protocols, and CME requirements. Its customizable informational and educational titles are broadcast 24/7 on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio Channel 167, streamed simulcast on ReachMD.com, and offered on-demand through a mobile MedicalRadio™ app available for Apple and Blackberry platforms. http://www.ReachMD.com

About Cervilenz Inc.
Cervilenz Inc. manufactures and markets the CerviLenz® device – an innovative medical device that measures cervical length to help physicians identify and manage pregnant women at high risk for preterm birth. The company was founded in 2008 in anticipation of cervical length measurement becoming a routine test for all pregnant women to screen for short cervix. The company headquarters is in Chagrin Falls, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. The CerviLenz device is cleared for sale in the U.S. and has its CE Mark and ISO 13485 Certification for international distribution. http://www.cervilenz.com